Six months after being denied access to the Kachin Independence Organization's (KIO) de facto capital by Burmese government authorities, UN rights envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana finally arrived in Laiza this past weekend.
Quintana, who is taking part in his final fact finding visit to Burma before his term as UN envoy expires later this year, met with internally displaced populations and senior KIO officials.
On Monday morning, the UN information center in Rangoon posted a photo on its website of Quintana meeting with KIO Chairman Lanyaw Zawng Hra. Another photo shows him playing soccer with displaced Kachin children.
According to Laiza residents, Quintana was warmly welcomed in KIO territory, a sharp contrast to his last week’s visit to Arakan state capital Sittwe where large numbers of Rakhine activists protested his visit.
Prior to his arrival in Laiza, Quintana met with Kachin state chief minister Lajawn Ngan Seng (also spelled La John Ngan Sai) and other local officials in Kachin state capital Myitkyina.
Quintana is expected to submit a full report about his final trip as Burma envoy for the UN general assembly soon.
